Tray binder



2 Sheetsv-Sheet l INVENTOR ,05er 77? l M v TTORNEYS TRAY B I NDER R. R.WEBB Filed May l5, 1930 Nov. 17, 1931,

jf g .32 2.9

Nov. 17, 1931.. R, R WEBB 1,831,938

TRAY BINDER Filed May 13. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR Patented Nov.17, 1931 y UNITEDv STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT R. WEBB, 0F LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR COMPANY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATIONOF CALIFORNIA TRAY BINDER Application filed May 13, 1930. Serial No.451,947.

This invention relates to tray binders, or, in other words, toloose-leaf binders involving the use lof hingedly mounted cover members,clamping bars to securely hold the loose leaves, and a tray on which theclamping bars are slidably mounted.

An important object of the invention is a reduction in the number ofdierent sizes of tray binders necessary to be carried in stock to meetthe demand occasionedby the necessity of different users'employing-looseleaves of different widths.

In this type of tray binder, it is customary to employ side rails thatconstitute stops or guides against which the edges of the leaves areplaced when offsetting said leaves so as to hold the oset edges of theVleaves in alinement. These guide rails are often adjusted to and fromthe offset positions but, heretofore, the` guide rails have notl beenbodily adjustable relative to the base so that the tray binder can beemployed to good advantage for holding loose leaves of diierent widths.VAccordingly, one of theV important objects of to provide forbodilyVmovement of the guide rails for the purpose indicated. j

Another important object" is to improve the construction for effectingholding of the guide railsin the two positions, the retracted positionand the extended or oifset position.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoinedV detaileddescription.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention: i

Figure 1 is a plan viewof a traybinder constructed in accordance withthe provisions of this invention. Loose leaves are shown in the binder.y

Fig. 2 isa frontelevation of Fig. 1, a portion being broken away tocontract the view.

` .One of the cover members is shown in two different positions in solidlines and' in broken lines.

Fig. 3is an elevation, partly in section,

from the irregular line indicated by 3-3, Fig. 1. `One of the guiderails is'shown in one position in solid lines and inV two otherposivtions in broken lines; portions Vof the loose leaves being brokenaway.

T0 CHARLES R. HADLEY Fig. 4 is a detail, mainly in section, of one ofthe guide rails and its mounting.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on indicated by 5-5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view from the line indicated by 6-6,`Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided a base 7 which, in thisinstance, is constructed of sheet metal. The base 7 has an the lineupper flat face .8 and the base is provided vat `its opposite ends withchannels 9 in which are shiftably mounted slides 10 which may also beconstructed of sheet metal. The channels extend transversely of the baseand, accordingly, the slides 10 move ltoward and from the side edges ofthe base when they are adjusted iii and out.

Means areprovided for securingitlie slides 10 in various positions ofadjustment and, in this instance, said means are constructed as follows:i

The bottom flanges 11 of the guides 10 are provided with a series ofslightly spaced holes 12 and selectively positioned in the holes 12 arescrews 13 provided with nuts 14 which `may be tightened down on theupper faces of the flanges 11. The screws `13 project vfrom the lowerflanges 15 of the channels 9 and, in this instance, each of said screws13 projects through one of a series of holesv 16 with which the flanges15 are provided. The spacing of the holes 16 may be dilerent than thespacing of the holes 12 so that a number of adjustments is possible bylocating the screws 13 in different ones of the `holes 12, 16.

The screws 13 are provided with heads 17 which, in this instance,function as supports for the base. Accordingly, the screw heads 17 arepreferably constructed of rubber or other Vsuitable soft material thatwill not tend to scratch' the desk or table on which the tray binder isplaced.

Movably mounted on the outer end portions of the slides 10 are guideorstoprorming rails 18'which are of U-shaped construction. The guide rails18 have their legs 19 pivotally connected by pins 2O to the slides 10.The pins 2O pass through slots 21 in the legs 19 so that said legs canhe shifted endwise. Each of the legs 19 is provided at its lower endwith a notch 22 adapted, when the leg is approximately in verticalposition, to register with a shoulder or stud 23 that Vprojects from theinner face of the slide.

The spacing between the pin 20 and the stud 23 is such -that the pin 2Ois in the upper end of the slot 21 when the stud 23 is in the notch 22.Thus, by raising the leg 19 so as to bring the pin 20 into the lower endof the slot 21, the notch 22 may be disengaged from the stud 23 so as topermit the leg to turn on the pin 2O until it is in the extended oroffset position shown in Fig. 4. Gutward and downward swinging of thelegs 19 is limited by reason of a shoulder 24 on each leg 19 coming intoengagement with the underface of the top wall 25 of the slide with whichit is associated.' The shoulder 24 eX- tends at an obtuse angle from theleg, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The yhorizontal member 26 of each ofthe guide rails has faces 27, 28 that are angularly related so that,when the guide rail is in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3,the face 27 is vertical and, when the guide rail is in the positionshown in Fig. 4, the face 28 will be vertical. Thus in either positionof the guide rail, the edges of the loose leaves, indicated at A, willcontact with flat faces of the rails.

Theremaining features of the tray binder need only be briefly referredto as they constitute no portion of the present invention, but aremerely described so that the operation of the tray binder will beunderstood. Clamping bars 29 are shiftably mounted on the base beingoperated toward and from each other by a screw 39, which isprovided atone end with right-hand threads and at the other end with left-handthreads. Hinged at 31 to the clamping bars 29 are cover members 32.

The above described tray binder operates as follows: Assuming, forexample, thatl the loose leaves in the binder are of the width shown insolid lines in Fig. 3, the slides 10 will be adjusted to a position thatwill entail engagement of the rail faces 27 with the end edges of theloose leaves when the rails are in the vertical positions shown in solidlines in said Fig. 3. lhen it is desired to offset any of the looseleaves, the guide rail, on that side where the osetting is to be done,will be raised by the operator to disengage the notches 22 from thestuds 23 and the operator will then swing said guide rail outwardly tothe position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4. If offsetting is desired onthe left, as well as on the right, the same operations will beaccomplished by the operator.

Tf wider leaves, such as indicated at B in Fig. 3, are to be used in thebinder, the nuts 14 will be removed from the screws 13 at one side ofthe base, the slides at that side will then be moved outwardly until theface 27 of the rail engages one edge of the leaves, when said guide railis in the vertical position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3. Then thescrews 13, associate-d with that particular slide, will be passedthrough the registering holes 12, 1G, and the nuts will be applied tothe screws, thus to hold the guides against endwis'e movement.

Olfsetting is now secured in the same manner as ldescribed above, andthe new offsetting position of the guide rail is also indicated inbroken lines in Fig. 3.

If it be desirable that the wider leaves be maintained approximatelycentrally of the base, adjustment of all four slides may be effected,and the slides on opposite sides will be drawn out equal distances. Itwill be readily seen that by moving both slides into their eXtreme outerpositions, a very much greater width of loose leaf may be accommodatedin the binder than when the slides are in their innermost positions.Accordingly, it can be readily comprehended that with this invention itwill only be necessary to carry in stock a single size of binderconstructed in accordance with this invention to supply the trade thatformerly required binders of many different widths.

I claim:

1. A tray binder comprising a base, slides mounted to move laterallyfrom the base, a guide rail, means pivotally connecting the guide railto the slides, and means on the base to clamp loose leaves.

2. A tray binder comprising a base, a guide rail, means pivotally andslidably connecting the guide rail to the base, and means on the base toclamp loose leaves.

3. A tray binder comprising a base, slides mounted to move laterallyfrom the base, a guide rail, means connecting the guide rail totheslides for pivotal and bodily movement relative to the slides, a meansreleasable by bodily movement of the guide rail in one directionrelative to the slides to hold the guide rail against pivotal movement,and means on the base to clamp loose leaves.

4. A tray binder comprising a base, a guide rail, and means providingfor bodily and lcd lli)

angular adjustment of the guide rail relative to the base in a pathnormal to the plane of the guide rail.

5. A tray binder comprising two members, one member constituting a baseand the other constituting a guide rail movable into at least twopositions with respect to said base member, a pin connected with one ofsaid members and a slot in the other member to accommodate the pin, anda stud connected .21..

with one of said members and a notch in the other member to receive thestud when the guide rail is in one position with the pin in one endportion of the slot, the end of said rail member abutting against saidbase member and acting as a stop when the rail is in said secondposition. f

6. A tray binder comprising abase, a pair 7. A tray binder comprising abase, a slide Y shiftably connected with the base, means to releasablysecure the slide 'against movement, a guide rail pivoted to theslide,'and means to hold the guide rail in different angular positionsrelative to the slide.

8. A tray binder comprising a base, slides shiftably connected with thebase, means including supports for the base for releasably securin theslides against movement a ide rail, and means to hold the guide rail indifferent angular positions relative to the slides.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 7th day of May, 1930.

ROBERT R. WEBB.

